Solenn Heussaff on her own

In Britanny, France, Solenn means “sun.” Solenn Heussaff’s favorite book, incidentally, is “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. The book, set against the events of Afghanistan’s last 30 years, tells the story of two generations brought together by war, focusing on mothers.

Solenn, who is a singer-actress, TV host, clothing designer, makeup artist and visual artist, loves working with women. The subjects of her paintings are mostly women.

Solenn is naturally artistic and her own home, a high-rise project of Robinsons Land Corp., reflects that.Solenn’s choice to live in a high-rise is just perfect for her lifestyle as she is often out of the house for work or personal travel.

“I don’t want to worry when I’m taping out of town that thieves are going to break in and take my stuff. For a long time, I lived with my parents so I’m not used to being alone so it’s comforting that the place I live in has 24/7 security. No worries,” she says.Solenn did not hire a decorator for her new home.

She wanted to do everything herself.

“I was so excited to have my own place! My home gives visitors a glimpse of who I am. Everything inside my house has a special meaning to me,” says Solenn.A painting of a topless woman graces one of the unit’s walls. A gift from Solenn’s French father, the painting was done by actor-dancer Geoffrey Holder. Some accents, including the skull of a bull, were bought during Solenn’s recent trip to Argentina, where her boyfriend is from. She also has a painting by artist Isabelle Diaz. The Diaz painting is housed in a beautiful wooden frame from Pampanga, which serves as the “door” to her bedroom. Solenn’s L-shaped couch is cozy and quite large, perfect for lounging with family and friends.“My friends like to hang out at my place, as I do at their homes, so I want them to be comfortable without having to think that they will break something. They can put their feet up, relax and chill,” says Solenn.

Solenn reveals that she’s making a conscious effort to include in her home things that she loves and needs, instead of accumulating stuff that will end up as junk.

“When I am out of the country, I like to go to out-of-the-way places to look for interesting stuff because the things that you find in stores there are usually the stuff you find here, too. Whatever I bring home has to be unique,” she says.

Solenn doesn’t look for branded stuff either but the essentials–bed, couch and appliances–have to be of good quality. For accents, she goes for “fun” pieces, like the mirrored art piece that she uses a a plant holder.“I love mirrors because they actually give you the impression that the room is bigger than it is. They also make a place brighter in terms of light,” explains Solenn.

She says her home decorating philosphy is a lot like her personal style.“My style philosophy is ‘comfort is the key to confidence,'” says Solenn, who studied fashion design at Studio Bercot and makeup artistry at the Make Up For Ever Academy, both in Paris.

If she wants a new look for her living room, Solenn will simply change her throw pillows. As her couch is in a neutral color, this is easy to do. For summer, Solenn would put in two throw pillows covered in a stripe fabric for look that reminds her of a rustic beach house. During the rainy season, she covers the soil in her potted plants with sheet moss for a pop of bright green.As a showbiz personality, Solenn believes in “reinventing yourself but keeping your signature look.”

“People usually look at images of my house or my room and they would say, without knowing that I live there, ‘That’s lovely and so artistic.’ Of course, I decorated my house for me but it’s great that other people appreciate my efforts,” she says.